Shimano Deore Double M545 2010
Reviews / Drivetrain
1,149,372
Weight: 1130 Grams (complete with bottom bracket)
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At A Glance
The Deore range from Shimano has always provided excellent quality at a great price. Whilst the cranks lack the bold good looks of the SLX set they are by no means ugly! The bash guide is identical to the one on its bigger brother so the real difference here is the crank arms and the chain rings. They offer outstanding value considering the bottom bracket is included, the Deore Double is designed to withstand the rigours of all mountain riding rather than just being a price point bit of kit and if you can’t stump for the SLX version then this won’t disappoint.
On The Trail
Instead of the HollowTech II cranks found on models further up the range the Deore uses solid crank arms, whilst they are still stiff they do lack the crisp feel of the HollowTech II they also add a little extra weight. Not a great deal but enough to make a weight weenie think twice. The shifting is spot on though and we had no issues with the smoothness of the drivetrain at all. Essentially the crankset is there to spin the gears and offer a choice of gear according to the terrain. The Deore set up does this with much aplomb and at the price point you really can’t find much bad to say about it. Given the choice ourselves we would spend the extra on the SLX set up though, it is only a little more and the looks, feel and, call us suckers, kudos of the SLX option wins us over every time.
Overall
Excellent shifting, stiff enough to perform the task in hand, if you want a budget double and bash then look no further.
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This review was in Issue 5 of IMB.
For more information visit ShimanoRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou Chater is the Publishing Editor of IMB Magazine; he’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but his passion for bikes knows no bounds. His first mountain bike was a Trek 820, which he bought in 1990. It didn’t take him long to earn himself a trip to the hospital on it, and he’s never looked back since. These days he’s keeping it rubber side down, riding locally and overseas as much as possible.
